MTL - Stepmother - Chapter 234 warm welcome

Deep below the earth's surface, a mystifying subterranean seascape lurks, an archipelago bathed in inky blackness where suspense and horror hold court. Here lie strange islands and even stranger monsters, far beyond the realms of human imagination. In this domain, mankind is far from dominant; instead, madness and death rule supreme.

Pleading for mercy from the unknown creatures of the deep only leads to a slow, tortured existence. The trapped survivors gradually distort, losing what made them human, both physically and mentally, to the gloom as they remain trapped in this eternal obscurity. Their only hope? A perilous expedition into uncharted sea territories.

Fueled by determination, Charles embark on this daunting voyage aboard his steamship, aiming to reclaim humanity's past glory. Together with his crew, they sought a way out of this hidden sea world, a path back to the sunlit world above, where humans once stood tall.

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I read a few comments from Chinese readers that compared this novel with Lord of Mysteries because of similar elements: Lovecraftian, western fantasy, first industrial revolution, and steampunk. However, I have yet to finish reading Lord of Mysteries to do any actual comparison, but I do think those who have enjoyed that novel would enjoy this as well. Also, the author of LotM, Cuttlefish That Loves Diving, also did a shout-out for this novel, so I guess he approves of it too?

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Dear readers! Without any ads, maybe you will prefer .

As the future High-Ranking among Elven, I was meant to be dignified and holy—but my friends never gave me the chance. One is a human prodigy turned “cripple” after an accident, determined to prove everyone wrong. Another is the Demon King, whose idea of preparing for war involves turning his entire race into farmers. As I watch my friends stir chaos in their own ways, I can’t help but wonder—how did I end up in the middle of all this?

He doesn’t want to be wanted for bounty, or be a pirate, but if there’s no other choice, he can only become a pirate…..

Let the world turn upside down!

- Description from Novelupdates

Yeho is a distant relative to a king in a small kingdom. Even though he is a distant relative, his house was very poor, and his mother was addicted to gambling. One day North Empire asked for Princess Sooyoung to be a concubine of an old Emperor because she was known for her beauty. But the king really loved his daughter so instead he ordered Yeho’s older sister to disguise as Princess Sooyoung and marry the old Emperor.

Yeho told his sister to run away with her lover, and his sister had to leave her younger brother alone with his mother. After she ran away, Yeho asked his mother to give the things back to the king that she got for trying to sell her daughter, but his mother already used the gifts to pay off her gambling debt. He was trying to give the gifts back to the king to take away his order, but now he can’t do that anymore. He tells his mother to run away, and he disguises as his sister to go to North Empire.

After he got there, he was trying to tell the Emperor the truth and take away his life, but the Emperor went out for few days to look around his empire. When the emperor came back, he wasn’t as old as he thought.